Rahul to take up 'larger role': Digvijay

Singh, who had at the party plenary here in December last had pleaded that Rahul should build his own team, however, does not want to go into when the young leader will play that role saying "that you will see".

"Of course, he (Rahul Gandhi) will take a larger role," was his response when PTI asked him whether he sees the possibility of Gandhi taking bigger responsibilities in the near future amid projections that he would be the future Prime Minister.

To a question on whether he agrees with the perception that the process of the youth taking over key responsibilities in the party is taking place at a very slow speed, Singh remarked "slow, but sure". He added that this was bound to happen.

Asked whether he feels that Prime Minister Manmohan Singh has become jaded in UPA II with a series of scams dogging the government, Singh replied in the negative saying "he was as vigorous in UPA II as he was in UPA I."

Singh also rejected contentions of any disconnect between the Prime Minister and the party.

"It was not there then and it is not there now," was his response to a question on whether Prime Minister and the party are not on the same page on many issues, including the Lokpal issue.

He did not agree with a suggestion that there appeared to be a lack of coordination in UPA II and the present government appeared drifting.

He said similar criticism was happening even during UPA I but despite all that the alliance  returned to power in 2009 Lok Sabha elections.

Singh, who is in-charge of party affairs for Uttar Pradesh, ruled out any alliance in the Assembly elections next year in the state where the BSP is its "main adversary".

He also made it clear that notwithstanding the disaster in Bihar Assembly polls last year, Congress will stick to its "go it alone" policy in Uttar Pradesh, propounded by young leader Rahul Gandhi. He at the same time said that some tie-up with smaller parties at local levels can happen.


Singh, who was earlier also in-charge of party affairs in Bihar for some time, did not agree with the view that the Bihar results showed that Rahul charishma did not work.
"Sonia Gandhi and Rahul Gandhi's rallies drew huge crowds in Bihar. But you should have an organisation to turn the crowds into votes, which was not there," he said.

Besides he said that in Bihar, the ground work was not done as it was done in Uttar Pradesh in the Parliamentary elections and the situation is different and results will show that.

The AICC general secretary, who has twice been Chief Minister of Madhya Pradesh,  ruled out the possibility of his returning to the state politics saying "there is no question of it. I have been Chief Minister of the state twice...now new people should come."

The Congress leader also downplayed his sharing the dais with former Samajwadi Party general secretary Amar Singh recently at Farrukhabad saying he had gone there to lay a foundation stone at the invitation of a personal friend and had no prior idea that Amar Singh was also invited.

He, at the same time said that he has known Amar Singh for a long time. "Amar Singh was in Congress Party and was very close to late Madhavrao Scindia."

Brushing off questions on whether Amar Singh was on way to Congress, he remarked, "Amar Singh is a personality by himself. His way of doing politics, his speeches and his way of interaction with media have no parallel."